Death's Shadow
by Katra736
Summary: What's it like to grow up harboring Death?


Death's Shadow

In a classroom full of students there is a little boy with blue hair and a blank expression. The students, despite their curiosity, do not bother the silent newcomer. The teacher knows that he witnessed his parents die not long ago and he is staying with a local foster family for now. She pities the boy, but has no time to dwell on the subject; she is a busy woman, after all, and quite unable to give as much individual care and attention as she would like.

Things change, though, as rumors about the blue haired child reach her ears. At first, she dismisses them as false; then, as mere coincidence. However, the more she hears, the less she is able to reassure herself. She watches from a distance and considers what she's heard, and eventually concludes that there is something terribly wrong with the boy. Death walks before him.

The first incident could have happened to anyone, really. It earned the child even more pity. He came across the body of a man who'd drowned in a pond near the boy's new home. No one was quite sure how the man had drowned, but for many the more concerning issue was how this would affect the already traumatized child. Oddly, there was no apparent change in his behavior, or even his expression. Of course, he was still recovering from his own parents' deaths, so perhaps he hadn't fully registered the experience. It was not so surprising, thus attitudes did not change towards him except to extend towards him just a touch more leniency.

The second time was thought to be rather unusual, but elicited still more pity for the boy with such terrible luck. Somehow, while fetching a few groceries for his foster-mother, the child was the first to discover a mutilated corpse in a back alley. As the police of the small town regularly patrolled such areas, it was surprising that he would be the first to happen upon the crime scene. He was questioned, insofar as to determine whether or not anyone else had been in the area, and then promptly returned to his foster family. They were alarmed by the news, naturally, and kept the boy home from school for a few days. When they allowed him to attend again, he was under strict instructions not to wander around town, and to come straight home after school. The family's concerns would only increase with time.

The third time the boy saw death in the little town, rumors began to fly. It was too much of a coincidence, some would say. Others casually mentioned that no one in town had ever hanged themselves before the little boy had come to live there. The boldest outright blamed the child for the unfortunate occurrences, citing his apparent apathy as evidence. Thankfully, no one was willing to punish the boy for things he simply couldn't have done. However, children hear many things not meant for them, and they can be cruel.

The teacher does try to keep a watch on the boy, but she can't be expected to keep tabs on him constantly. As time goes by, and more of the incidents occur, she finds herself more and more tied up in work. The child is not her sole responsibility; there is no need for her to step in, especially when no one in the class is willing to approach him, let alone hurt him.

After the blue haired boy is found tied to a fence, beaten black and blue, the foster family decides it would be best for him to live elsewhere; he could start off fresh, have a clean slate, and surely his bad luck couldn't continue forever.

In another city, a slightly older boy with blue hair and the fading remains of a black eye sits in a classroom. The teacher has read his file, and has great sympathy for the transfer student. However, she is a very busy woman and can offer only a limited amount of time to each student.

Japan, slowly but surely, spreads whispers of the harbinger of doom, naught but a child, though few truly believe such tales. Years later, whenever such whispers reach the ears of Death's shadow, he merely turns the volume up on his music player and tries not to notice anything unusual.


End file.
